DUBAI, 22nd June, 2025 (WAM) – The United Arab Emirates is set to make a formidable presence at the 2025 Asian Water Skiing and Wakeboarding Championships, taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from June 23 to 29. A select contingent of the nation’s most promising athletes will compete against peers from over 20 Asian countries at Rabbit Lake, a premier aquatic sports venue.

The UAE National Team, under the expert supervision of the UAE Marine Sports Federation, comprises four exceptional athletes from the Ras Al Khaimah International Marine Sports Club: Sultan Saif Al Nuaimi, Abdulrahman Saif Al Nuaimi, Ali Saif Al Mazrouei, and Hassan Jaber Al Zaabi. The technical guidance for the team is provided by Coach Khaled Matar Saba’a, with Saeed Ahmed Al Ghaith serving as Team Manager.

Aref Al Haranki, Chairman of the Board of Ras Al Khaimah International Marine Sports Club and a Board Member of the UAE Marine Sports Federation, will join the delegation in Bangkok as the esteemed Head of Delegation. Al Haranki underscored the significance of this participation, stating, “This engagement is a crucial step in our strategic plans to elevate the sport and enhance the performance levels of our athletes. We are incredibly proud to see Emirati nationals now capable of competing and honourably representing our nation in continental championships.”

He further elaborated on the club’s vision: “At the Ras Al Khaimah International Marine Sports Club, we are dedicated to solidifying the Emirate’s reputation as the water skiing capital of the Gulf and Asia. This is achieved by nurturing successive generations of athletes who can proudly represent the UAE on diverse platforms and project a distinguished image of Emirati sportsmanship.”

This vital participation receives the full endorsement and steadfast support of the UAE Marine Sports Federation. The Federation remains committed to its ongoing efforts to qualify national teams and broaden international participation, with the overarching goal of fortifying the UAE’s standing in aquatic sports across both Asian and global arenas.

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Bob Pockrass

FOX Motorsports Insider

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Devlin DeFrancesco wanted to heal any pain from an unintended spill that happened a week ago in St. Louis.

As DeFrancesco ran back to his car after exiting the infield medical center at World Wide Technology Raceway (known as Gateway), he stopped. Then Jimmy Kevin Henslee, the cameraman who was following him, tried to stop short and fell.

No person was injured. The camera, however, might be a different story. And DeFrancesco wanted to give something to Henslee — who’s known throughout the garage as “Bama” because of the Alabama flag on his camera.

“A bottle of bourbon, most men enjoy that,” DeFrancesco said. “It was unfortunate what happened at Gateway. And sad to see him fall or break his camera. I just thought it was something good to do.”

DeFrancesco wasn’t knocked over and was not injured.

“I was fine,” DeFrancesco said. “He kind of just missed me and fell over and took the brunt of it.”

What made DeFrancesco stop so suddenly?

“They jumped off the stand and told me to stop and turn around and he was following me and I guess didn’t see me and fell over,” DeFrancesco said. 

“I felt bad over the incident and felt it would be good to do something nice.”

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

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Ex- Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic death of 21 Kano State athletes who lost their lives in a fatal road crash while returning from the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Atiku described the incident as heartbreaking and a national tragedy that robbed the country of some of its most promising young talents.

“I am heartbroken by news of the tragic accident that claimed the lives of 21 Kano State athletes returning from the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta.

“These young men and women who have been cut in their prime represent the very best of our nation, dedicated, talented, and full of promise.

“Their untimely passing is a profound loss not only to their families and the people of Kano but to the entire country,” he said.

The former Vice President also stressed the need for improved safety standards, particularly during long-distance travel involving athletes and national contingents.

“It is imperative that we put in place and enforce safety measures to stem accidents and prevent loss of lives,” he said, calling for urgent reforms in transport safety.

Atiku extended his condolences to the bereaved families, the Kano State Government, and Nigeria’s sporting community.

“May the souls of the departed rest in peace, and may the injured recover swiftly,” he added.

The accident, which occurred at Dakatsalle Bridge, Kura Area of Kano, involved a bus conveying the athletes back to their home state after participating in the national sports competition in Abeokuta.

Kano State authorities have since confirmed the incident, with officials describing it as one of the darkest moments in the state’s recent sporting history.

The state’s Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Umar Fagge, said efforts are underway to provide support to the victims’ families and ensure proper medical care for the injured.

“The entire state is in mourning. These athletes were ambassadors of Kano and were full of life and hope. Their loss is deeply painful,” the commissioner said.

Tributes have continued to pour in from across the country, with many Nigerians taking to social media to mourn the athletes and call for accountability and better protection for those who represent the country in sporting events.

The National Sports Festival, which concluded recently in Abeokuta, brought together athletes from all 36 states and the FCT. What should have been a moment of celebration has now been overshadowed by grief and national reflection.

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It’s been a busy week for Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.

On Tuesday, Cunningham found herself at the center of the fracas that broke out between the Fever and the Connecticut Sun. What started out as a bit of trash talk and shoving between Caitlin Clark and Jacy Sheldon quickly devolved into a bit of chaos near the end of the game.

In the final minute of action, Cunningham committed a hard foul against Sheldon, seemingly in retaliation for the action that had been aimed at Clark, which resulted in both Cunningham and Sheldon getting ejected. In addition, Cunningham received a $400 fine for the Flagrant 2 she was assessed and a second fine of an undisclosed amount for her role in the brawl that followed.

But according to a report from Jacob Feldman at Sportico, Cunningham may very well have already made up the difference in her fine, though by an unconventional means: her follower count.

Since Cunningham’s move in defense of her teammate, she’s seen her TikTok follower count rise rapidly and steadily from roughly 302,000 to more than 1.2 million. Cunningham celebrated her feat of clearing one million followers with, of course, a TikTok dance.

She also posted a video seemingly in reference to her hard foul, mouthing along to the lyrics “I mean I could, but why would I want to?” from the song “Hands to Myself” by Selena Gomez.

In addition to the rise in her follower count, Cunningham has apparently also seen a surge in jersey sales, with them now listed on the Fever’s online store as shipping “on or before July 8.”

“It’s unprecedented growth,” Addison Abdo, who represents Cunningham at sports management agency PRP told Sportico. “We work with some pretty big athletes that have gone viral for some pretty big things, but this has been something that I haven’t seen before—this type of growth in this short amount of time … was very new territory.”

Cunningham is a veteran. While it is her seventh season in the WNBA, it’s just her first with the Fever, having arrived during what was a busy offseason for Indiana as they retooled their roster in hopes of competing for a title.

We’ve seen the Caitlin Clark effect and the rise in interest in the WNBA in general manifest in several interesting ways. Yes, ratings and ticket sales are up across the board, but so are some more specific and direct engagement methods, like voting trends in the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game, or in Cunningham’s case, her follower count.

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